Barking machine



Feb. 20, 1968 HANNU TAPANI JUHOLA 3,369,581

BARKING MACHINE 3 Sheets-Sheet 1.

Filed April 8, 1965 llllllllllllll Ill INVENTOR. Ha'mw TAPANI Tum,

and:

1968 HANNU TAPANI JUHOLA 3,

BARKING MACHINE Filed April 8, 1965 Y s Sheets-Sheet 2 FIG. 2

INVENTOR. ANNU TQPANI Tu H 0 LA Asa 1' 1968 HANNU TAPANI JUHOLA3,369,531

BARKING MACHINE Filed April 8, 1965 S Sheets-Sheet 3 FIG. 3

INVTOR.

Hnmuu TnPam I, A

3,369,581 BARKING MACHINE Hannu Tapani Juhola, Mantsala, Finland FiledApr. 8, 1965, Ser. No. 446,678 4 Claims. (Cl. 144-208) ABSTRACT OF THEDISCLOSURE A cutter disc and a feed roller of a barking machine aremounted on a common driven shaft. A helical rib on the rollerfrictionally engages a log placed on the roller to turn the log aboutits axis, to advance it axially, and to move it toward the cutter disc.The axial advance is controlled by a knife blade whose cutting edgeengages the log at an adjustable angle to the log axis.

This invention relates to barking machines for logs, and particularly toan improved feeding arrangement in such a machine.

The barking machines known heretofore are equipped with rotary feederswhich are operated by complex and costly devices. They permit a log tobe fed to cutters for the bark in a forward direction only so that thespots of bark left after the first treatment cannot conveniently beworked over again.

The invention aims at providing a barking machine which avoids theshortcomings of the known devices, is

simple, reliable, and inexpensive, and permits a log'to be moved backand forth past the cutters as needed.

With these and other objects in view, the invention, in one of itsaspects, resides in a barking machine of the type having a rotary cutterand drive means which frictionally engage a log to be barked for feedingthe log lengthwise past the cutter while rotating the log about itslongitudinal axis. The invention is more specifically concerned with animproved mechanism for controlling the feeding rate. It provides a knife:blade which may be moved toward and away from a position of cuttingengagement of its edge with the rotating log, and which is securedagainst rotation by this engagement. Adjusting means are provided forvarying the angle defined by the edge and by the longitudinal axis ofthe log. The blade, the devices which secure it against rotation, andwhich permit the angle of the cutting edge and of the log axis to bevaried are mounted on a common support with the rotary cutter and thedrive means by a linkage which provides the movability of the bladetoward and away from its position of cutting engagement with the log.

Other features of the invention and the attendant advantages thereofwill become apparent as the disclosure proceeds.

A preferred embodiment of the invention is shown in the attached drawingin which:

FIG. 1 shows a machine of the invention in sideelevation, and partly insection;

FIG. 2 illustrates the machine of FIG. 1 in front elevation, and partlyin section; and

FIG. 3 shows a portion of the apparatus of FIG. 2 on a larger scale.

The working elements of the illustrated barking machine are mounted on asupporting frame 19 and are operated by a shaft 20 journaled in bearings7 on the frame 19. The shaft carries a conical, helically ribbed feedroller 8 and a cutter disc 11 having a conical face which tapers towardthe base of the roller 8 and is provided with three equiangularlyspaced, radial cutting blades 21.

A feed control mechanism mounted above the roller 8 includes a flatknife blade 10 attached toa normally upright pivot pin 22 which swivelson a bar 1. An operating handle 13 is also fixedly attached to the blade10. The

States Patent handle 13 is fastened to a stationary column 4 on atransverse member 16 of the frame 19 by a telescopically extensibleguide arm 3 equipped with a ball-and-socket joint 5. The joint isattached to a clamp 23 which can be shifted longitudinally on the handle13 and arrested by means of a clamping screw 24.

The bar 1 is attached to the column 4 by means of a beam 2 and a link 15whose ends are attached to the column 4 by pivot pins 27, 28respectively and to the bar 1 by respective pivot pins 25, 26 so thatthe bar 1 may swing on the column 4 toward and away from the shaft 20and the devices mounted thereon. The bar 1 is biased downward toward theshaft by a spring 29 whose upper end is hooked into one of severalopenings 30- in a bracket dependent from the beam 2, and whose lower endis attached to the frame 19. The tension of the spring may be adjustedby shifting it between the openings 30. An upright abutment rod 31 onthe frame 19 limits downward movement of the bar 1 and preventsengagement of the blade 10 with the roller 8.

A fixed bracket 32 on the bar 1 carries a toothed bar 14 by means of twoconnected pivot pins 33, 34 whose axes are at right angles to eachother, thus permitting angular movement of the bar 14 in planes whichare approximately parallel to the axis of the shaft 20 and transverse ofthe axis. A spring 35 interposed between an arm 36 on the bar 14 and thebar 1 biases the toothed bar 14 toward the disc 11, but abuttingengagement of the bar 14 with the bracket 32 prevents the bar fromtouching the disc.

The shaft 20 is driven by a belt trained over pulleys 9 on the shaft 20and on a countershaft 18 which is journaled in a bearing 17 on the frame19. The countershaft 18 is connected with a power take-01f 37 on anonillustrated tractor on which the frame is normally mounted by meansof pins 38 in a conventional manner.

Sleeves 39 mounted on the frame 19 on opposite sides of the roller 8adjustably support brackets 43, 42 which respectively support a cradle40 and a roller 41 whose height and angular positions may be adjusted.

A non-illustrated box is normally provided under the disc 11 to collectthe bark and shavings removed from a log by the blades 21, or a suctiondevice is provided for the same purpose.

The afore-described machine is operated as follows:

A log 6 which is to be barked is placed on the cradle 40 and on theroller 8 which is rotated clockwise as viewed in FIG. 2, while the logabuts against a fence 12 mounted on the bar 1. The helical rib on theroller 8 causes the log to turn about its axis and to move on the rollertoward the disc 11 and into engagement with the teeth of the bar 14.Since the log turns clockwise, as viewed in FIG. 1, it lifts the bar 14and swings the beam 2 and link 15 together with the elements supportedthereon upward on the pivot pins 27, 28. The fence 12 and the knifeblade 10 are raised until they clear the log 6 which can then proceedtoward the disc 11 and in the dlrection of the arrow A (FIG. 2) underthe driving force of the roller 8.

When the log 6 passes the lower end of the toothed bar 14, the bar againdrops to the level illustrated in FIGS. 1- and 2. It is held against theface of the log remote fnom the disc 11 by the spring 35 while the barkis removed from the turning log by the revolving blades 21.

The knife blade 10 descends with the toothed bar 14 and is driven intothe log 6 by the spring 29. The relationship between the rotary speed ofthe log and its forward speed in the direction of the arrow A isdetermined by the angle between the plane of the cutting edges of theknife blade 10 and the axis of the shaft 20 or the longitudinal axis ofthe leg '6. This angle can be adjusted by means of the operating handle13. When a knob at the free end of the handle 13 is pulled toward thetop of the barking machine, the knife blade 10 is turned on its pivotpin 22 toward a position in which its cutting plane is parallel to theshaft 20 so that the advance of the log 6 in the direction of the arrowA is slowed. When the knob on the handle 13 is pushed down toward theframe 19,the angle between the axis of the shaft 20 and the cuttingplane of the knife blade 10 is increased, and so is the rate of logadvance.

The angle defined by the cutting plane of the knife blade 10 and theaxis of the shaft 20 or of the log 6 may also be set automatically. Whenthe beam 2 and link 15 are lifted during engagement of a newly suppliedlog 6 with the toothed bar 14, as described above, the shorter link 15pulls the lower end of the bar 1 closer to the column 4 than the upperend of the bar 1 'is drawn by thelonger beam 2. The operating handle 13and the attached knife blade. 10 are thereby turned on the joint 5 in adirection to reduce the angle between the cutting plane of the blade andthe axis of the shaft 20. The desired angle may be determined in advanceby suitably positioning the clamp 23 on the handle 13 and by adjustingthe length of the guide arm 3.

It should be understood, of course, thatthe foregoing disclosure relatesonly to a preferred embodiment of the invention, and that numerousmodifications may be made therein without departing from the spirit andthe scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In a barking machine having a rotary cutter, drive means frictionallyengaging a log to be barked for feeding the log lengthwise past thecutter while rotating the log about the longitudinal axis thereof, and afeed control mechanism for controlling the feeding rate, the improvementin the control mechanism which comprises 2 (a) a knife blade having acutting edge; (b) moving means for moving the blade toward and 5 awayfrom a position of cutting engagement of said edge with the rotatinglog; (c) securing means securing the knife blade against rotation bysaid engagement; and (d) adjusting means for varying the angle definedby said edge and by said longitudinal axis. 2. In a machine as set forthin claim 1, a support carrying said rotary cutter, said drive means, andsaid mechanism, said moving means including linkage means movablymounted on said support, said blade, said securing 15 means and saidadjusting means being supported on said linkage means.

3. In a machine as set forth in claim 2, said adjusting means includingmeans responsive to movement of said linkage means on said support in adirection for moving said blade toward said position'of cuttingengagement to increase said angle.

4. In a machine as set forth in claim 1, said moving means includingmeans responsive to the approach of a log to said cutter for firstmoving said blade away from said position thereof and for thereaftermoving the blade toward said position.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,255,070 6/1966 Bersano 144208WILLIAM W. DYER, 1a., Primary Examiner.

W. D. BRAY, Assistant Examiner.

